Season 1. Chapter 61: Tu Artificer
Chapter: The Labyrinth Beckons — Of Illusions, Rules, and Spirits
The morning mist curled lazily over the silver waters of the Great Lake nestled within the Talgia Taiga, quiet but buzzing with hidden anticipation. Around the curved forest basin, dozens of Travelers, mages, and mercenaries assembled from all corners of the region—some weary from past games, others brimming with cautious optimism.
All eyes turned upward as the morning sky shimmered. A quiet rip in space, stitched together by golden lines, opened above the trees.
Descending with his usual solemn grace came Yarrow—Instructor Elite, arbiter of strange games, and eternal observer of laws unspoken. He wore his black and red coat draped down to his boots, white gloves folded over one another. His signature black-and-white mask veiled the lower half of his face, and his eyes—hidden behind duo-toned lenses (one red, one green)—scanned the field like a historian reviewing pages long since written.
He hovered slightly above the grass, letting the air still before speaking.
> "The Ruby Game is behind us. Now you face the true test of adaptability—the Labyrinth Game."
The murmurs among the contestants rippled louder now. Even veterans seemed puzzled. The younger players leaned in.
> "Crafted by Artificers, governed by rules, and animated by illusion, the Labyrinth will test not your power, but your choices."
From the crowd, shimmering runes emerged from a nearby clearing, forming a projection in the air like a layered blueprint of terrain. Slowly, fragments of cabins, mist woods, sunken paths, and lake islets shifted into view—every inch marked with flowing sigils.
Yarrow stepped back and gestured.
> "Let the Artificers explain."
A red shimmer spun in the air as a flickering pawprint rune appeared. Out of it stepped a small figure dressed in a flowing red dress, her glowing pink fur tail swaying behind her. Her red hair shimmered beneath the sunlight, and her smile held a soft eeriness that was neither comforting nor threatening.
Tu Cherry, right-hand to the missing Tu Kiwi, gave a light spin and curtsy.
> "Greetings, competitors, I am Tu Cherry, the spiritual assistant to our great Master Artificer Tu Kiwi… though he's taken leave for now."
Behind her, three smaller catkin figures tumbled out of a glowing vine gateway:
Tu Orange, a bright-eyed kitten with chalk in his fur.
Tu Lemon, shy but holding dozens of scrolls.
Tu Huckleberry, the most chaotic, already eating one of the map markers.
Tu Cherry giggled and cleared her throat.
> "The Labyrinth isn't a dungeon, oh no. It's a living puzzle. Every area—every field, bucket, cabin, even fruit—is laced with laws and illusion mechanics. Touch the wrong tree, and your stamina drains. Pick the wrong berry, and a wooden demon will chase you until sundown."
> "Drink from the wrong pond? Mystery potion effect."
"Ignore a marked signpost? You'll be frozen in place for seven whole seconds—plenty of time to get ambushed."
Tu Lemon held up a sign reading:
"THIS ZONE RULES YOU."
The crowd whispered in awe and nervousness.
Among them stood a notable handful of rising names.
---
Shura
A young white wolfkin cleric, just 4'8", wearing sleek white robes with a flowing red ribbon around her waist and tail. Her deep blue eyes held the wisdom of someone touched by the divine. Upon her back shimmered the ethereal sigils of the Fourth Great Spirits:
White Tiger (Courage) — A gift of relentless bravery.
Black Tortoise (Knowledge) — The ability to uncover the deeper truths of illusions.
As the murmurs grew louder, Shura stepped forward, her feet bare, unbothered by the cold grass. She spoke quietly:
> "If there are illusions… then the spirits will see through them."
---
Elowen Starbrooks
A calm but perceptive mage, her sky-blue hair tied beneath a gray-tipped green hat. She wore a mossy green mantle and walked with a slim wooden staff that seemed more attuned to natural Vita than arcane flow.
Elowen was unique—she cast her spells without traditional incantations, instead drawing raw Vita into motion using gestures and attunement.
> "Illusions can be bent. I'll just listen to the flow of the land," she said to herself, adjusting the straps on her satchel filled with dried herbs and focus stones.
---
Unnamed Druid
No one knew his real name, but he was often called "Moss-Hat" by fellow Travelers.
With a thick orange woolen cap resembling a forest cap mushroom, round spectacles over sharp eyes, and a beige cloak stitched with ivy symbols, he was an unspoken counterpart to Fern—stoic, observant, and always watching the rhythm of the group.
He was the Guide of Male Travelers, particularly for those lacking class affiliations. Unlike Fern, who offered subtle commands, Moss-Hat gave silent direction—leading by example, and speaking only when danger demanded.
One young Traveler asked him, "What happens if we break a rule?"
The Druid paused, then replied softly:
> "Then the Labyrinth learns your name."
---
The rest of the contestants began murmuring as sigils appeared over their wrists—each marked with a single zone glyph, showing where their teams would begin. The Labyrinth would open not as one space, but many shifting biomes working in tandem.
Tu Cherry raised a paw with a wink.
> "Good luck, my sweet contestants! And please... don't touch the glowing mushrooms… unless you really, really want to cry."
---
Yarrow hovered again above the lake.
> "The Labyrinth has begun.
Choose your steps wisely.
Illusion favors the curious…
And punishes the careless."
And with that, the game was on.
The Talgia Woods bent again… and the forest stood still.
------
Chapter: The Silent Watcher — Labyrinth, Part II
Elsewhere in the Talgia Forest, beneath a canopy of black pines and shrouded glades, another gathering was underway—distant from the main lake group, but under the same growing rules of the Labyrinth Game.
The sky above this half of the forest was dimmer, the shadows lingering longer across the moss and bark. A small clearing pulsed with subtle enchantments. Runes glimmered faintly beneath fallen leaves, and the mist here wasn't mist at all—but traces of structured illusions still forming.
Here stood the second cluster of players—those who'd survived the Ruby Game but hadn't aligned with Oliver, Aurelia, or Luke's groups.
Among them, at the center, was the ever-shadowed silhouette of Zack Erebus.
Hands in pockets. Head slightly tilted. Eyes unreadable beneath his tousled black bangs.
He was silent—but attentive.
And standing beside a shimmering flower-shaped platform was a different feline figure than before—this one clad in a mist-gray cloak with grape-pattern embroidery across the sleeves and a flickering, translucent tail.
Tu Gooseberry.
A calm, whimsical spiritual catkin, feminine and wise, but prone to sudden moments of giggles or whispers to invisible beings. Her fur shimmered in a blend of lavender and silver, her eyes mismatched—one yellow, one black.
She floated just inches above the ground.
> "Welcome, playerssss~ to your side of the Labyrinth Game," she purred musically. "Same rules, same realm… but you'll take different routes, different puzzles, and face different illusions."
> "All shaped by the Artificer Web, all blessed by the greater Yarrow himself."
At the back of the glade stood another tall Artificer Librarian:
Tu Blackberry — tall 5'1, serious, and coldly logical. His robes were a deep violet stitched with geometric grids, his face always half-shadowed beneath his hood, his black tailed sway.
He stepped forward, holding up a card etched with black ink:
> "Cheating, rebellion, rule-breaking — these things decay the structure of the Labyrinth. A counterforce is required."
He turned and pointed toward Zack, voice sharp.
> "By suggestion of Instructor Yarrow… and due to your behavioral consistency, tracking proficiency, and unmatched detection skills—we appoint Zack Erebus as the Mediator of Law."
Gasps echoed among the group. Zack didn't even blink.
> "You will monitor this quadrant of the Labyrinth. Any player caught attempting to cheat the rulezones will be marked, and you may choose the punishment."
"Disarm. Expel. Or... immobilize."
The silence around him grew tense.
One player whispered, "That guy took down, like, 50 Travelers last time…"
Another: "Why would they give him authority?"
Tu Gooseberry floated over, her paws clasped behind her back, tail curling like a question mark.
> "You don't have to say much, dear Zack," she said sweetly. "Just accept."
Zack's eyes lifted, glancing once at Blackberry, then to Gooseberry.
Then, in his usual low, unbothered voice, he answered:
> "Fine. I'll watch."
Tu Blackberry nodded once. "Then it is settled."
With a snap of his fingers, a black badge with silver threads floated toward Zack. It marked him as Labyrinth Mediator. Not a leader. Not a ruler. But the one who walked between the rules and the lawless.
> Zack Erebus Mediator Class – Active All perception rules bypassed Authorized: Intervene in Illegal Actions
As the other players murmured and shuffled, Zack stepped off into the shadows of the rightmost trail, his form already beginning to blur into darkness.
He didn't care about authority.
He didn't want power.
But if someone cheated the Labyrinth…
They'd meet him first.
---
Somewhere in the distance, the forest groaned quietly as the game evolved again.